They Didn’t Say We Can Do It……They Just Did It!

On June 6, 2026, the 82^nd anniversary of D-Day, The National WWII Museum, in partnership with the American Rosie the Riveter Association, honored the Rosies with the Museum’s American Spirit Award.

The contributions of the Rosies as “the women, behind the men, behind the guns,” are finally being recognized as an important part of the success of the Allies striking back and achieving victory in both Europe and the Pacific. Women helped make the armaments and other war materials was a critical task in the success in D-Day. But the millions of women who worked in factories across the U.S. were not the only women contributing to the success of this monumental contest to ultimately defeat the Axis powers.

Other American women working in the U.S. and abroad also held important roles that aided in the Allies success. Here are just a few examples of the individuals or groups of dedicated women who assisted in the defeat of our enemies.

WAFS and WASP – At the start of America’s entry into WWII the military was not interested in American female pilots assisting in the war effort. As a result, many pilots like Jackie Cochran, in order to be of service, instead went to England where they were allowed to fly support for the Royal Air Force, delivering planes from factories to air bases in Britain.  

Then in early 1942 Nancy Harkness Love, who was born in Houghton, MI, convinced Col. Tunner to allow her and a group of 28 highly experienced pilots to start the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). Which began delivering planes across the U.S. in September 1942. When Cochran heard about this program, she returned and convince Col. Hap Arnold to allow her to create a separate unit to train female pilots. These units merged as the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) in August 1943. 

Under the guidelines, the WASP were not technology part of the military, but over 1,000 female pilots fulfilled the home front duties of Air Force pilots, thus freeing their male counterparts for combat. The WASP first flew as test pilot before delivering all types of aircraft from factories to staging areas (as they weren’t allowed to fly them overseas). These pilots also pulled targets 1,000 feet before their planes for pilot trainees, with live ammunition, to shoot at! WASP training included meteorology, parachute packing, morse code and navigation, as well as 50 hours in the flight simulators. 

Sadly, of the eventual 1,078 WASP who graduated, 38 would die while in service to their country. As these women were not considered to be in the military, their remains were flown home at the family’s expense (or by a collection taken up by their comrades) and buried without military honors. It wasn’t until 1977 WASP were recognized as US military veterans.  

Team of Railroad Gandy Dancers Straighten Track During WWII.

Railroad Workers – While female pilots delivered planes, other supplies, as well as soldiers, were transported across our country by rail throughout the war. With thousands of rail workers leaving for war, and the need for this vital means of transportation to increase its operations, women soon began recruited to work on America’s railroads. Women proved that they could maintain the massive steam-powered engine as mechanical helpers, as well as baggageman, conductors, and switch tenders. They also stepped into roles maintaining the railway tracks themselves, a job so physical that it was believed that only the toughest men could do it. With nicknames like Molly Pitcher (a salute to the women during the American Revolution who picked up arms and continued the fight after their fallen brother-in-arms) and Switch Track Gandy Dancers. Women like Big Bess Yellow Horse, a barely 5-foot tall Native American, worked as railroad section gang foreman. The gangs’ duties included turning or replacing railroad tires, driving spikes, clearing derailments, and keeping the troops and freight moving to then be shipped overseas to the battlefront.

Women’s Land Army – As an army runs on its stomach it was important that American farmers produced food for the home front, but also our fighting men and allies throughout the war. At the same time, however millions of young farm hands were also departing to join the war effort the government. With pressure from Eleanor Roosevelt and others the government agreed to reestablish an organization to recruit women to work in America’s farms and orchards. The Women’s Land Army had been a useful program during WWI. So, in April 1943 Francis Perkins, of Michigan was appointed director. She organized training course at colleges like the Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University, which trained women to work in dairy, poultry, and general farming, including the care of animal, milking, and operating machinery. Eventually 1.5 million women were trained and placed thousands of women on farms across the country. 

Cartographers and Intelligence Analysis Workers – Many women also worked in highly confidential positions in U.S. government offices. According to Liza Mundy, author of Code Girls, 10,000 American women were recruited as code breakers. Women also used intelligence reports to create maps of troop and ship movements. They assisted in creating the highly secret maps of Normandy beaches and German defenses. Prior to the D-Day invasion, which was nicknamed Overlord, women were instrumental in creating Operation Fortitude. This was a deception to misled Germans about the actual location and timing of the D-Day invasion.  These intelligence department workers sent false military documents and fake radio messages to support the deception which led the Germans to believe the allied forces would land at Pas-de-Calais instead of Normandy. This plan was critical to the success of the D-Day invasion. 

Army Nurses arriving in France several days after the invasion at Normandy.

Army Nurses – On June 10^th, 1944, just four days after allied troops fought to establish a beachhead at Normandy, 2^nd Lt. Margaret B. Stanfill transferred from the ship, the SS William N. Pendleton to a landing craft with a group of other female and male medical troops, and stepped onto the beach at Les Dunes-de-Varreville, just north of Normandy. Stanfill became the first American women to set foot in France as part of the invasion force. These Nurses, and the hundreds more that followed, set up field hospitals and treated hundreds of wounded in combat areas. They created surgery and recovery rooms, staffing both 24 hours a day. They also created a system to move wounded from the battlefield to safety. 

6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion – In December 1944 a group of WACs (Women’s Army Corp), made up predominately of African American service women, were sent to the European combat theater and charged with organizing a severe backlog of mail that accumulated during the war. Under Major Charity Adams this unit was assigned first to Birmingham, England, then to Rouen, France, and in October 1945 to Paris. The 6888^th faced discrimination and were not expected to success when given the deadline sorting the millions of pieces of mail and packages that filled several airplane hangars, in just six months. Despites numerous challenges, the women of the 6888^th eliminated the backlog in only 3 months. But it was at a high cost to the unit. On July 8, 1945, three of the battalion’s soldiers, Pfc. Mary Bankston, Pfc. Mary Barlow, and Sgt. Dolores Brown - were killed in a vehicle accident while on duty. They are three of only four American women buried in the Normandy American Cemetery on Omaha Beach. (The other is Red Cross volunteer Elizabeth A. Richardson). 

The U.S. and its allies would have never seceded in winning WWII without these and many other amazing women. Check back soon for articles about the women who worked as spies, resistance fighters, and any other dangerous roles behind enemy lines.